São Paulo Travel Forum

Hi,

I will be visiting Sao Paulo during first week of March for 2 weeks. Could you please advise a good star hotel to stay. Also please let me know if there are good night clubs around the hotel. Any particular singles parties that I can attend?. Please let me know any near by places that I must cover. Other travel tips to make the visit exciting would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Praveen

How many stars Hotel to you are good? I'll list the best ones:
Maksoud Plaza; Caesar Park; Sheraton Mofarrej; Inter-Continental São Paulo; L'Hotel. All them are very near to São Paulo nightlife.
The spots near São Paulo are:
* Santos/Guarujá (beaches)
* Ilhabela (boating, snorkeling)

I am sending a brazilian link showing São Paulo:

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Paulo

Campinas is a big nice city near São Paulo city. And, there is a very good airport there (Viracopos airport). Maybe you will find cheap air flights from São Paulo's Congonhas airport to Campinas.

http://www.feriasbrasil.com.br/sp/campinas/

42Km far from Campinas there is a city named Americana. Campinas and Americana are connected by paved road. And, Americana, is famous in Brazil since the city hosted some live american confederate soldiers from Civil War. They lived and died in Brazil. Their descendants live in Americana and raise up the relatives traditions. They try to live in group speaking each other in english till today. There are many brazilian people speaking english near Americana region nowdays... Of course I'm surely doubt they don't speak portuguese as well. They may be bilingual.

Cassiovieggore

Is there a reason, like visiting relatives, that you are choosing to visit a primarily business city like S.P.? Although S.P. does have good restaurants, clubs and some museums, Rio de Janeiro is much more of a tourist destination, with beaches, clubs, spectacular scenery, lots of music, good food, etc. It is only a short flight from S.P., or a very comfortable 6 hour busride, if S.P. is the most convenient place your international flight can land. Take a look at www.ipanema.com for more info on Rio and good maps.

While you are staying in S.P., Embu is a nice day trip. The Renaissance is one good hotel in a good neighborhood for walking around. Without giving a specific budget, it is very hard to advise about hotels.
I can't imagine why one would spend 2 weeks in S.P. though, when 2-3 days or so would do nicely. Here are some good suggestions for activities in S.P.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/travel/14hours.html?ref=travel
http://www.insidesaopaulo.blogspot.com/

Ilha do Mel might be an nice option closeby to see the beach.However, Rio and Parati and/or Ilha Grande might be better. You could go up the coast from S.P. through those places and end up in Rio. I find the beaches close to S.P. to be overcrowded and not beautiful in comparison with other parts of Brazil. And I can't imagine what connection someone from India would have to U.S. Confederate history that would impel him to go all that way and be dissappointed to see so little....

Hi, Thank you for the inputs. I am visiting SP for Business for two weeks. I would prefer to stay in a good hotel which has surrounded by good night clubs and hanging spots (like in city center). I am open to hotel budget around USD 150. Please suggest. Thank you.

I would advise you to stay as close to the place you will be working as possible, because traffic in S.P. can be terrible. Ask your work partners for recommendations (or post an adddress).

Clubs, the new ones
http://www.wishclub.com.br/
http://www.drybar.com.br/
http://www.buddhabarsp.com.br/
3 x 4
For samba in SP:
http://www.tracodeuniao.com.br/
Ó do Borogodó,Rua Horácio Lane, 21, Pinheiros

Actually I have work of around 5 to 6 working days over a a span of 2 weeks, hence it should not be a problem to travel to work when needed. I am keen on staying in good hotel in downtown where there are restaurants, bars and night clubs in walking distance. Please advise. Thanks in advance

You do NOT want to stay in what is referred to as 'downtown' (centro, near Praca de Se), which is considered dangerous, especially after dark. The center of the city that you might want to consider is Jardins, the upscale neighborhood where the Renaissance is located. The Vila Madalena neighborhood is known for its Bohemian character, and has lots of shops, as well as bars and restaurants. Bexiga/Bela Vista is known for its club/bar scene. Another interesting neighborhood to consider is Itaim Bibi, with galleries, restaurants and bars. But even working only 5-6 days, after you sit in traffic for 2-3 hours trying to get across town, you may reconsider staying near your workplace.